Wire-to-wire wins are usually blow-outs, but in Cleveland, nothing is that easy. As famous Akronite LeBron James once said, “Nothing is given, everything is earned.” The Akron Zips found that out on Friday night, as they had to battle the Ball State Cardinals for the whole 40 minutes in a gritty 74-70 win.
The Zips came out on fire, opening the game on a 7-0 run. Kwan Cheatham would match a Tayler Persons three-pointer to make it 10-3, and it looked like Akron would be unstoppable. But the Cardinals did not go away. They would hit seven three-pointers - matching their total from yesterday’s first half against Western Michigan - as they kept pace with their local foes.